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LAWRENCE — The University of Kansas School of Business is set to honor its 2014 Distinguished Alumni Award recipients, Don Hall Jr., president and CEO of Hallmark Cards, and John Dicus, chairman, president and CEO of Capitol Federal Savings Bank.

Hall and Dicus have been recognized for their dedication to business excellence, community service and commitment to KU. They will be honored Friday, April 25, at a private reception at The Oread Hotel.

Hall earned his MBA from KU in 1983 and has worked at Hallmark since 1971. He has worked in multiple areas of the business from manufacturing and sales to product development and creative. He took over the company’s top position in 2002 and is the third generation of the Hall family to lead the privately held business, which was founded in 1910 by his grandfather, J.C. Hall.

He is active in the Kansas City community as a member of the MRIGlobal Board of Trustees, KU School of Business Board of Advisors and Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce board. He is the current chairperson of the Civic Council of Greater Kansas City. He also serves as a member of the Board of Trustees of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C.

John Dicus earned a bachelor’s degree in business from KU in 1983 and went on to earn an MBA from in 1984. He has worked at Capitol Federal Savings Bank since 1985, when he started as a bank officer, working his way through the ranks to president and COO in 1996.

Dicus serves as director and trustee for a variety of organizations, including Stormont-Vail Healthcare, Greater Topeka Chamber of Commerce, United Way of Greater Topeka, Capitol Federal Foundation, Washburn University Endowment and KU Endowment Association. In October 2012, Capitol Federal Foundation pledged a $20 million lead gift for construction of the new KU School of Business building.

The School of Business established the Distinguished Alumni Award in 1998 to honor outstanding graduates. To date, 48 alumni have been recognized with the award. Past recipients include investor David Booth, entrepreneur Philip Anschutz, former Goldman Sachs executive Robert Kaplan, Cerner Corp. co-founder Clifford Illig and Emprise Bank chairman Mike Michaelis.

Award recipients are chosen from the nominations of other alumni and the dean’s advisory board. Candidates are selected on the basis of their business success and service to their communities and to KU.

The University of Kansas is a major comprehensive research and teaching university. The university's mission
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